The next king of the Kop! Arne Slot is a Guardiola disciple who gets under Mourinho's 肌 and his teams attack relentlessly like Klopp. He ticks EVERY box for Liverpool

  • Liverpool have opened 会談 with Feyenoord as they look to 調印する Arne Slot
  • He has impressed at Feyenoord, and (機の)カム の近くに to joining Tottenham last year?
  • Phil Foden 明らかにする/漏らすs what it's REALLY like to play for Pep Guardiola in an It's All Kicking Off special. Listen on?Spotify, Apple or anywhere you get your podcasts?

In the tunnel of the Stadio Olimpico, Jose Mourinho was breathing 解雇する/砲火/射撃 and looking for the man who had got under his 肌.

Mourinho’s Roma 味方する had just beaten Feyenoord on 刑罰,罰則s to reach the 4半期/4分の1-決勝戦 of Europa League, last February, but he was in no mood to be gracious. The Portuguese Man of War had a 得点する/非難する/20 to settle with Arne Slot and was 決定するd to say his piece.

Slot, the man who is 推定する/予想するd to become Liverpool’s next king, had lit the blue touch paper in a pre-match 圧力(をかける) 会議/協議会. The first 脚 between the 味方するs had ended in a 1-1 draw and ahead of the return, Slot was asked if he had watched any of Roma’s 最近の games to learn about them.


With a wry smile, Slot replied he’d seen “one or two” but made it (疑いを)晴らす his idea of learning was watching Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. His style of football and 見解(をとる)s on how fluently the game should be played are closely 提携させるd with the Catalan’s, not the prosaic functionality of Mourinho.

存在 the man that he is, Mourinho was never going to let it 嘘(をつく).

Feyenoord manager Arne Slot is the man expected to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool this summer

Feyenoord 経営者/支配人 Arne Slot is the man 推定する/予想するd to 後継する Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool this summer

Jurgen Klopp has just five games left as Liverpool manager before he ends a near nine year stay at the club

Jurgen Klopp has just five games left as Liverpool 経営者/支配人 before he ends a 近づく nine year stay at the club

Slot led Feyenoord to only their second Eredivisie title in 24 years last season

Slot led Feyenoord to only their second Eredivisie 肩書を与える in 24 years last season

‘Hey!’ he shouted when seeing Slot milling around outside his dressing room. ‘Maybe you should have watched those games ? you might know what it takes to be a 勝利者!’

If only he had kept his mouth の近くにd. Three months later, Slot had turned Feyenoord into 支持する/優勝者s of The Netherland for just the second time in the 21st century, their 告発(する),告訴(する)/料金 to the 肩書を与える seeing them rack up 11 straight 勝利,勝つs after that trip to Rome.

The significance of the 勝利 should not be underestimated. There are three 抱擁する clubs in The Netherlands but Feyenoord had for long been the poor relation of Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, until Slot brought them 支援する to the 首脳会議. Does that narrative sound familiar?

To stand any chance of 後継するing Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s next 経営者/支配人 will 要求する a 確かな character and Slot, evidently, will not be 設立する wanting when it comes to standing up for himself or 説 it how he sees it. In many 尊敬(する)・点s, he is 類似の in that way to the German.

But the next man in 告発(する),告訴(する)/料金 at Anfield is also going to have to 勝利,勝つ matches ? and lots of them ? to 妨げる a 地位,任命する-Klopp hangover from creeping in and there is 推論する/理由 to believe that Slot will do that: one thing for 確かな is that there won’t be any Mourinho conservativism.

Two weeks before that game in Rome, Feyenood had played in a KNVB cup tie at home to NEC Nijmegen. Those in the De Kuip stadium had been left flabbergasted by what they had seen from Slot’s team ーに関して/ーの点でs of relentless attacking.

Remarkably, over 120 minutes, Feyenoord had 50 発射s on goal, 27 of which were on 的. There were 17 corners, an 雪崩/(抗議などの)殺到 of 所有/入手. Somehow the game finished 4-4 ? NEC 変えるd four of their six chances on the 反対する ? but the hosts’ 進歩d 経由で a 刑罰,罰則 shootout.

It wasn’t so much the result that was 著名な that night, more how Feyenoord had played. Afterwards, phones were buzzing amongst the Rotterdam 階層制度 that they felt they had their own 見解/翻訳/版 of Guardiola. They also knew that his 進歩 was not going to go unnoticed.

Around that time, 物陰/風下d were keen to 新採用する him and their former Director of Football 勝利者 Orta flew into Rotterdam to see if he could do a 取引,協定. Feyenoord were never going to entertain, nor was Slot ? a married father to a son and daughter ? who had grander ambitions than Elland Road.

The significance of the triumph should not be underestimated, considering how far Feyenoord's stock has fallen in recent years

The significance of the 勝利 should not be underestimated, considering how far Feyenoord's 在庫/株 has fallen in 最近の years

Feyenoord claimed the KNVB Cup last weekend after a?1-0 win over NEC Nijmegen

Feyenoord (人命などを)奪う,主張するd the KNVB Cup last 週末 after a?1-0 勝利,勝つ over NEC Nijmegen

Quinten Timber, twin brother of Arsenal defender Justin, has flourished under Slot's guidance

Quinten 木材/素質, twin brother of 兵器庫 defender Justin, has 繁栄するd under Slot's 指導/手引

適切な時期s 現在のd themselves again last summer. He could have gone to Tottenham, he could have even gone to Chelsea but such was Feyenoord’s かかわり合い to keeping him, Chairman Toon 先頭 Bodegom rewarded him with the biggest 契約 ever given to a 経営者/支配人 in The Netherlands.

Nobody had been put on 取引,協定 of £5million a year but Slot, they were 毅然とした, was 価値(がある) every penny. He 支援するd up their 約束 again this season, 配達するing the KNVB Cup last Sunday with a 1-0 勝利,勝つ over NEC Nijmegen ? a far more controlled 事件/事情/状勢 than their previous 会合.

Slot has a 社債 with his players ? Quinten 木材/素質, twin brother of 兵器庫 defender Justin, has 繁栄するd under his 指導/手引, as has Slovakian defender David Hancko ? that 茎・取り除くs from his かかわり合い to 改良 every 選び出す/独身 day.

‘Feyenoord players always say: “Everything the trainer 予報するd, we saw in the game”,’ says one Rotterdam-based source. ‘Arne is a workaholic. He’s also happy to work with staff and 委任する/代表. He has a coach for this, a coach for that, and for that and that and that!

‘They have to 料金d him with (警察などへの)密告,告訴(状) and then he makes his 戦術の 計画(する). Feyenoord and Ajax have the biggest fanbases but Slot brought them 支援する to the 最高の,を越す. There was Luis Sinisterrra who didn’t work out at first and everyone 手配中の,お尋ね者 to give up on him.

‘I don’t know what Slot did but all of a sudden, he was filling his 可能性のある. He went to 物陰/風下d for £25m, one of Feyenoord’s biggest sales ever. Before Slot he could have gone for a nickel and 薄暗い! He puts belief in players. He rebuilt the club when best players left.’

Critics will argue that Slot’s team 追跡する PSV in the 肩書を与える race this time around but the irony is they have more points than at this 行う/開催する/段階 12 months ago and recently obliterated Ajax 6-0: PSV, for their part, have been like a runaway train, with just one 敗北・負かす and one draw.

All this has been 公式文書,認めるd by Liverpool. The 重要な requisites for Klopp’s 交替/補充 was that he had to develop players, be able to build a 関係 with fans and have a かかわり合い to the club’s style of play and he ticks all the boxes.

It would be wrong to 法案 as Klopp 2:0 but it is 平易な to see 平行のs in their 各々の careers in that they started out at good solid, clubs ? for Mainz and Klopp, read AZ Alkmaar and Slot ? before going to be grander 行う/開催する/段階s.

Slot, really, could have won the 肩書を与える with AZ but his time there ended in 失望/欲求不満, with the club’s 最高の,を越す 厚かましさ/高級将校連 telling him on Saturday morning he had to leave すぐに after it became (疑いを)晴らす he was not going to 調印する another 契約, まっただ中に 利益/興味 from Feyenoord.

Slot's ability to connect with his players has been noted as one of his key strengths

Slot's ability to connect with his players has been 公式文書,認めるd as one of his 重要な strengths?

Feyenoord humiliated their old rivals Ajax by beating them 6-0 in Rotterdam earlier this month

Feyenoord humiliated their old 競争相手s Ajax by (警官の)巡回区域,受持ち区域ing them 6-0 in Rotterdam earlier this month

‘As a club, we have chosen to say goodbye すぐに,” director of football Max Huiberts said in a 声明 on the club’s website. ‘We want to hav e a 長,率いる coach 主要な the team who is fully 焦点(を合わせる)d on AZ.’ The manner of that 出発 still rankles Slot.

How will it end in Rotterdam? That remains to be seen but the end, seemingly, could happen very soon. Liverpool made 接触する with Feyenoord on Wednesday morning and the 意向 is for getting the 取引,協定 done as quickly as possible, once a 補償(金) 一括 can be 解決するd.

Then Slot will be (疑いを)晴らす to start a new 一時期/支部, for him and for his new club. One thing is for 確かな : as shown with the episode with Mourinho, he won’t shy away from the fight.